Pastor's Corner ~ All Saints & All Souls Day Masses

Pope Francis, through the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the primary office of the Pope that handles questions and directives on matters of doctrines and faith, issued a new instruction last Tuesday, October 25, 2016 entitled “Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo regarding the burial of the deceased and the
conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation.” The actual document was signed on August 15, 2016 on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. The whole document is printed in this weekend’s bulletin.
There is really nothing drastically different in the “new” directives, but it reinforces and clarifies some of the burial practices that at times run against the way we understand the dignity and sacredness of the human body and remains. As we look forward to the
celebration of the Feast of All Souls Day on November 2, I encourage you to read the whole document. It’s not very long, and it’s a good reflection as we remember our loved ones who have gone before us. It really does put things in the right perspective, which also becomes a source of peace and serenity for those who do not know what to do or are confused as to what the Church really teaches on some recent burial practices.
On November 2 (Wednesday) at 8am, we will have a concelebrated Mass for our departed loved ones, and we will remember in a special way those whom we
celebrated their funerals here at our parish during the past year. I sent an invitation to this special Mass to their families and asked them to bring a portrait for their loved ones to be placed on a special table near the sanctuary. Just like in previous years, their names will also be on a banner to be hung in the sanctuary for the whole month of November.
Please also do not forget that November 1 (Solemnity of All Saints) is a holy day of obligation. Masses in English are at 7:30am, 12pm (noon) and 6pm. Spanish Mass is at 7:30pm. As we celebrate these back to back feasts (All Saints and All Souls), may we always remember our sublime dignity as created in God’s own image and likeness and, with the same dignity, calls us out or orients us to our ultimate flourishing which is eternity with God. These two celebrations reaffirm the sacredness of the human person and our capacity to reach the Divine in cooperation with God’s grace. – Fr. Cary